Treading lightly?

The Guardian reported in March 2022 that the human project to turn the planet into a toxic barren mess is well under way. A chemical in tyres is reported to be linked with Salmon deaths in the USA and the same chemical is now being found in Queensland Australia. 

We really all need to be aware that 4WD culture has an impact. Whether it's cars on beaches crushing ecosystems, erosion of soils on bush tracks, fossil fuel use contributing to warming and chemical contamination of precious wild places. 

The richest 10% of humans are causing 40% of emissions. We must do better. 

Tasmanian Salmon - Deserves a Gold medal for 'green washing'

Richard Flanagan is a wonderful writer. When he turns his attention to non fiction the results are extraordinary. 

I'm 100 pages into his book Toxic the rotting under belly of the Tasmanian Salmon  Industry and I feel gut punched.

The list of issues with this industry is long. The environmental, social, financial and health consequences are so shocking.

Some of these issues:

• Salmon pens are creating biological dead zones around them because of enormous amounts of fish and food pellet waste
• 1.7kg of fish meal creates 1 kg of salmon. We'd be better off eating the original sardines that make up the fish food/meal
• Fish are feed fishmeal that comes from depleting international fishstocks
• Fish meal contains additives that prevent combustion (catching fire) and are toxic
• Fish food contains ground up factory farmed chickens and other livestock (and plastic and metal rubbish)
• Because farmed fish aren't eating seafood their flesh is grey so they are fed colouring additives which are also toxic
• Farmed Salmon has very small amounts of omega 3 as they are not eating a natural diet
• Soy beans are a large proportion fish feed pellets and are contributing to the deforestation of South America.

The other consideration is that these majestic animals are being tortured. They swim in filth with not enough oxygen and must have miserable lives that results in lots of premature death.

And just when it seems it couldn't get worse guess what. It does. This nutrient overloaded ecosystem is creating jellyfish population explosions and this is not good as they wipe out lots of native species.

On and on. The other victim of this industry is the fur seal. They are smart animals that like to eat fish. They are an endangered species but salmon farmers don't care or share. So they kill, scare or relocate them on a very large scale.

The Tasmanian Government, past and present, appear corrupt in the regulation of this industry. 

Tasmania's reputation as green and clean is a joke.

Bushfire Crisis

The air is currently filled with smoke from the incineration of ecosystems and all their living components. It feels dire in Eastern Australia. The warnings of climate collapse have gone unanswered for decades by people with power and influence. The feeling of doom and helplessness is strong.

What to do?

1. Activism- tell politicians that they need to take this seriously.

2. Reduce your carbon foot print. Transport, heating and meat production are major contributors to co2 emissions. Change your behaviour: 

• Grow more of your own food
• Use less electricity
• Fly less
• Drive less
• Get Solar
• Eat no or less meat
• Don't buy food that is out of season or gets transported large distances
• Buy less things made out of plastic and other materials that will end up as toxic rubbishy when you are done with it.

3. Support efforts to 'sink' and store carbon:

• Protect forests from logging
• Support the move away from fossil fuels like coal and LPG
• Plant trees
• Critically consider if farming practices that use grasslands to graze animals for meat are really helping

Silver Wattles

Every year I observe something that thrives in the presenting conditions. This year the outstanding thriver award goes to the Silver Wattle Acacia dealbata.

These trees are very common in my area. The literature reports the seed and gum were an important Aboriginal food before the land was stolen from them.

Silver Wattle blossom and Sulphur Crested Cockatoos

I have never seen such a vibrant flowering and then prolific seed set. I have a theory why this is so.... We had a dry winter and early spring which saw the wattles have a good long flowering and pollination. The opposite happened for my cherry trees that were flowering during a wet and cold mid - late spring period that saw poor pollination and fruiting.

So the wattles flowers turned to seed pods and we then had lots of rain which has resulted in trees dripping in big full seed pods.

So the ground is covered in seed. Ants are probably squirrelling them away. Antechinus are chomping away hopefully. Birds including Crimson Rosellas and my chickens are eating a fair few also.

And this lovely creature appeared the other day ascending to escape the sun and heat that was on its preferred feeding tree, a long leaved box eucalyptus globoidea

Nest boxes for sale

I'm very pleased to announce that nest boxes are made and ready for purchase!

See me at the Daylesford Sunday Market or contact me via email to enquire how to order/buy your own nest box.

Small nest box for Feathertail Glider, Pygmy Possum and Antechinus
$25-$35 price varies depending on construction materials
(Box above $35 made from Marine plywood and recycled River Red Gum)

Large nest box for small Parrots
$45 - $55
(Box $45 above made from Pine plywood and Elm)

Large nest box for Sugar Gliders

                                                                         $45 - $55

(Box above $55 made from Marine plywood and recycled Rive Red Gum)

Medium nest box for Microbats

                                                                       $30 - $40

(Box above $40 made from Marine plywood)

Very large nest box for Brush Tail Possum 

$60- $70

(Box above $70 made from Marine plywood and Elm)

Nestboxes better than nothing but not as good as the real thing

Preserving /conserving existing habitat and planting for future habitat is the most important thing for all of us to do/encourage or fund.

Gibbons and Lindenmayer (2002) estimate that:
83 mammal species
114 bird species
79 reptile species
27 amphibian species use hollows on mainland Australia. 

That's 303 species!

There just arn't enough hollows to go round. And as if that wasn't bad enough, introduced and feral pest animals also use hollows. For some creatures, they cant wait for governments to do the right thing and stop the clearing or degradation of habitat or for forest to regenerate.

Nestboxes are never as good as natural tree hollows but do provide an option to help create resting and breeding places.

There are many factors to consider when buying a nest box.

• Which animal needs a box most?
• Which animal is it designed for?
• Where will it be located?
• How long will it last?

I will help answer all these questions in future posts as my boxes are designed for species that need help. I will also explain the pros and cons of the materials I use.

David Lindenmayer has written about how nest boxes installed to offset habitat clearing to widen the Hume freeway didn't help threatened species.
http://www.nespthreatenedspecies.edu.au/news/offset-fails-to-tick-the-box

Nestboxes can help but real trees with real hollows are best.

While we wait 120 -150 years for trees to develop hollows put up some boxes now.

Microbat box (unsealed)

Feathertail glider/ Pygmy possum or Antechinus nest box (unsealed)

Wildlife boxes coming soon

Nest boxes for a range of species that could do with a helping hand will soon be available.

Nest boxes will be available for:

• Possums
• Gliders
• Bats 
• Birds

Boxes are:

• Designed specifically for each species using best available evidence
• Designed for maximum animal comfort
• A range of materials used including Forestry Steward Council approved 17mm  ecoply, FSC 18mm  marine ply and/or recycled hardwood timber

More details and photos coming soon